A WOMAN whose car ploughed into a group of teenagers just eight days after she passed her driving test is being sued by the boys' parents.

Michael McAnaney, 13, was killed when Deborah Quinn mounted the kerb and careered into the group of friends waiting to cross the road in Spennymoor, County Durham.

The boys, all aged 13, were returning from a Saturday afternoon five-a-side football match.

Michael's friend, Alan Kalandra, suffered serious head injuries. Two boys suffered fractures, while others were traumatised.

Miss Quinn, then aged 23, was convicted of driving without due care and attention on July 12, 1997. She was fined £120, with three penalty points on her licence, and a further £100 for two defective tyres.

Now, the families of five of the youngsters are suing Miss Quinn for negligence.

They are also seeking damages from Sedgefield Borough Council which, they say, failed to fully supervise the youngsters.

Brian and Cindy McAnaney, 34, have launched the legal bid to prove their son was not responsible for his own death.

Their action comes after Miss Quinn's insurers, NIG Skandia, failed to pay £7,500 to cover Michael's funeral costs and compensate his parents for their grief - claiming he was partly to blame for the accident.

Michael died as he and his friends waited to cross the A688 bypass in Spennymoor.

They had been due to play at the council-run Spennymoor Leisure Centre, but the game was switched to the Daisy Hill recreation ground - on the far side of the bypass.

Newcastle County court heard how Miss Quinn, also of Spennymoor, lost control of her car and hit the central reservation before mounting the kerb.

Miss Quinn broke down as she told the court: "I saw the boys. I noticed their football shirts first.

"I was concerned and that is the reason why I acted, trying to stop the car by braking. At that stage, when I braked, I lost control of the car."

Miss Quinn claims the council is to blame for the accident, because the boys were directed to play on the outdoor pitch.

Michael's father, Brian, 36, said before the hearing: "It is insulting to Michael's memory to say that he was responsible."

A spokesman for NIG Skandia said the firm had not set out to cause anguish to Michael's parents.

The case continues.